


with flowers in your hair (tell me it's real)

by golden_redhead



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Domestic, Dorks in Love, Established Relationship, Flowers, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Language of Flowers, M/M, Magic, Ouma has unexplained flower powers AU, Plants
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-30
Updated: 2019-03-10
Packaged: 2019-09-30 08:24:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17220383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/golden_redhead/pseuds/golden_redhead
Summary: “He’s blooming in his sleep,” whispered Kaito excitedly, a wide grin stretching on his face.Shuichi blinked, unsure if he’s heard that right. He was just about to open his mouth and ask him to repeat it when Kaito leaned in to plant a gentle kiss on Kokichi’s shoulder, one of his hands reaching out to brush aside a few stray petals that fell on their smaller boyfriend’s forehead.Shuichi blinked again, slowly, the sight before him slowly registering in his still hazy-with-sleep brain.Kokichi was laying on his side, lips parted slightly and quiet, barely audible snores escaping his mouth every now and then. Nothing unusual, considering that it was the middle of the night and the previous day proved to be quite exhausting. What was unusual, however, was the flower crown made of blue hyacinths and gardenias that was wrapped loosely around his head, petals intertwined together and resting gently against a mess of dark hair.“Oh.”





	1. Sleep

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [a crown of maple leaves, a crown of flowers](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7758136) by [bluecarrot](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluecarrot/pseuds/bluecarrot). 



> Flower meanings:
> 
> blue hyacinth - constancy of love  
> gardenia - (secret) love  
> red rose - love (confession of love)  
> sunflower - adoration  
> morning glory- affection

It was still dark outside when Shuichi’s eyes suddenly snapped open, abruptly pulling him out of the realm of dreams without any warning. He stared at the dark ceiling above his head, the memory of his dream slowly fading away.

 

He was just about to turn and try to fall asleep again when he caught the sight of Kaito who was grinning wildly over Kokichi’s sleeping form on the other side of the bed.

 

“Mm, Kaito?” Shuichi rubbed his eyes, words slightly slurred and voice still laced with a heavy layer of sleep. “Why are you awake so early?”

 

Kaito’s eyes looked soft in the dark room, the gentle glow of the moonlight being the only source of light. The long dark shadows danced on the walls and the eerily quiet atmosphere tempted to lull Shuichi back to sleep.

 

“He’s blooming in his sleep,” whispered Kaito excitedly, a wide grin stretching on his face.

 

Shuichi blinked, unsure if he’s heard that right. He was just about to open his mouth and ask him to repeat it when Kaito leaned in to plant a gentle kiss on Kokichi’s shoulder, one of his hands reaching out to brush aside a few stray petals that fell on their smaller boyfriend’s forehead.

 

Shuichi blinked again, slowly, the sight before him slowly registering in his still hazy-with-sleep brain.

 

Kokichi was laying on his side, lips parted slightly and quiet, barely audible snores escaping his mouth every now and then. Nothing unusual, considering that it was the middle of the night and the previous day proved to be quite exhausting. What was unusual, however, was the flower crown made of blue hyacinths and gardenias that was wrapped loosely around his head, petals intertwined together and resting gently against a mess of dark hair.   

 

“Oh.”

 

The last traces of sleepiness were gone as Shuichi watched with fascination as slowly more flowers started to cover his smaller boyfriend’s body, sprouting out of the sleeves of his pajamas and getting tangled in the dark strands of his hair. The sweet aroma filled the air, making the detective feel a little light-headed. The sight of it all was enthralling and Shuichi found himself breathless, unable to look away, mesmerized by the way the flowers were slowly wrapping around Kokichi’s lithe body, pulling him into a gentle embrace.

 

And it wasn’t only Kokichi who was blooming. The boy must have unconsciously felt his boyfriends’ presence in his sleep, because when Shuichi raised his eyes again he noticed a rose tucked behind Kaito’s ear, its vibrant red petals brushing against the astronaut’s cheek and clashing horribly with the color of his hair. Shuichi also became vaguely aware of something tickling his neck and when he looked down there was a small sunflower perched on his shoulder, its long stalk curling along the length of his arm.

 

He let out a quiet sound, something between a sigh and a laugh, affection swelling in his chest. It all felt like a dream and for a moment he humored the idea of pinching himself, just to make sure that it’s all real, just to make sure that it’s not just a figment of his imagination, courtesy of sleep deprivation and his never-ending fascination with Kokichi’s unusual abilities.

 

“The little shit is gonna drown us in flowers,” complained Kaito jokingly, his eyes bright in the darkness, affection clear in his gaze.

 

Shuichi hummed in response, his eyes following a long vine of morning glory wrapping along the length of Kokichi’s arm, curling along the curves of his body and reaching out in the direction of his boyfriends, brushing against their skin gently, almost shyly.

 

“Yeah,” he breathed out, resisting the desire to touch his smaller boyfriend, dot his face with dozens of small kisses before he presses his lips against Kokichi’s and takes his breath away. While it was a tempting idea, something about it felt _wrong_. There’ll be time for that later, when Kokichi wakes up, when the flowers’ grip around him loosens. Something about this moment felt special, like something that shouldn’t be interrupted.

 

The feeling of a vine prodding at his hand interrupted his thoughts as if the plant was prompting him to lift his wrist slightly. Hesitant but trusting, he raised his hand, pale gold eyes widening with curiosity as he watched the vine wrap around his index finger, clinging to his pale skin. He watched in silent awe as a single flower bloomed right before his eyes, a small bud spreading its petals slowly and gracefully.

 

Shuichi’s breath caught in his throat.

 

“Did he just propose to you in plant?” laughed Kaito from the other side of the bed and when Shuichi pried his eyes away from Kokichi’s sleeping form to look at his other boyfriend, he noticed more roses tangled into his hair, framing his face like a flowery halo.  

 

What Kaito failed to notice, however, was a twin vine that started to coil around his own index finger like a ring, the petals springing out of the bud and the flower’s sweet fragrance filling the room that’s already smelled like a greenhouse.

 

“I think he proposed to both of us,” whispered back Shuichi, not quite trusting his own voice and afraid that he’ll wake Kokichi up if he speaks too loudly. His chest was aching but it was a good kind of ache, a nice one. It felt like his chest would burst out with affection, like it simply couldn’t contain the intensity of his feelings.

 

He almost laughed out loud at the confused expression that flickered through Kaito’s face at his comment. It quickly turned into surprised recognition when he finally noticed the vine coiled around his finger. Shuichi watched with quiet amusement as a blush spread over Kaito’s cheeks and nose, visible even in the darkness of the room.

 

They stayed like that for a long time, watching as their boyfriend bloomed right before their eyes until the early hours of the morning. It was almost time for Shuichi to start waking up and getting ready for work when Kokichi finally started to stir, his nose scrunching in a way that made the detective’s heart twist in his chest.

 

It took him a while to wake up fully, cloudy with sleep, eyes blinking rapidly as he slowly slipped out of the land of dreams only to find himself face-to-face with twin wide smiles of his boyfriends staring at him with intent. He frowned slightly but before he could voice his confusion the reason of their smiles became apparent. A few months ago he would have been startled by such an awakening but by now it was almost part of the routine.

 

With a long suffering groan he propped himself on his elbows, taking a moment to take a proper look at his boyfriends, himself and the room, the disgustingly sweet aroma of the flowers hitting his nose all at once. The sunflower snuggled against Shuichi’s neck contrasted horribly with the pale blue shade of his pajamas and the big goofy grin spread on Kaito’s lips along with the roses nestled in his messy hair made him look even more ridiculous than normally. The bed was a disaster, too, petals of all kinds of flowers littered all over their bedsheets, which matched the bedsheets that just happened to have a floral pattern on them.

 

“Ugh, not this again,” he complained loudly, slumping back on the pillows, multicolored petals rising up when the mattress dipped under his weight.

 

Kaito laughed openly at his disgruntled expression, which only made Kokichi’s expression darken some more, a protuberant pout tugging down at his lips.

 

“Shuiiichi, Momo-chan is making fun of poor little me,” he turned to the detective with glassy eyes and crocodile tears gathering at their corners, clinging to Shuichi’s arm tightly as he hoped to get his sympathy.

 

Kaito only chuckled in response and scratched the back of his neck.

 

“I just think they are pretty,” he informed Kokichi sincerely.

 

He reached out to help untangle a particularly stunning gardenia that was tucked behind Kokichi’s ear, long fingers brushing against dark strands of hair. He had that dumb, lovesick expression on his face that always made Kokichi’s heart do weird things in his chest.

 

How hideous.

 

“Only a dumbass like Momo-chan could think so!” Whined Kokichi plaintively, pushing the blankets away and attempting to stand up, pulling Shuichi up after him.

 

Once he stood up - shivering slightly at the loss of warmth and comfort of the bed - he shook off himself energetically like a dog, petals and flowers falling down and adorning the floor. Despite his best attempts many flowers remained in their place, tangled up with his messy hair. When he finally straightened himself, he looked Kaito in the eyes with a bright-eyed challenging stare of his own.

 

“One day they’ll suffocate me in my sleep, we’ll see how you’ll like them when _that_ happens!” He huffed childishly and then reached for Shuichi’s hand, fingers wrapping around the detective’s wrist in a vice-strong grip and stomping out of the bedroom, very confused Shuichi in tow.

 

“Come on, Shumai, you have to help me get rid of the rest of these flowers, I can’t show up like that in DICE’s headquarters.”

 

Kaito stared dumbfounded after them, catching one last apologetic smile that Shuichi sent him over his shoulders as he was dragged out of the room, when suddenly a thought occurred to him.

 

“Wait!” Protested Kaito. “What about the flowers here?”

 

“Dunno, clean them yourself if you like them so much!” came Kokichi’s sing-songing response from the other side of their little apartment, a teasing giggle clear in his voice.

 

Kaito grumbled under his breath but obediently climbed out of bed and stretched. Then he reached for the broom hidden behind the door for occasions exactly like this one and got to work, determined to finish as fast as possible and join his boyfriends for breakfast as the familiar smell of Shuichi brewing coffee spread all over the apartment mingling with the sweet aroma of flowers that followed Kokichi everywhere.


	2. Research

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Whatcha got there?”
> 
> Shuichi almost jumps at the sound of Kaito’s voice coming from behind his back and startling him. His hand immediately reaches out to slam his laptop shut. He jerks his head in the direction of the voice so fast that he lets out a pained hiss and reaches out to rub his neck. He stares at Kaito like a deer caught in headlights.
> 
> “Kaito!” chokes out Shuichi, redness already spreading over his cheeks. The embarrassment coils in the pit of his stomach and he lets out a nervous laugh that sounds cringy even to his own ears. “Uh, um, what are you doing here?”
> 
> Kaito chuckles and moves to sit next to him on the bed, the mattress sagging slightly under his weight. Shuichi shifts to his right to make more space for him. “I asked you first.”

“Whatcha got there?”

 

Shuichi almost jumps at the sound of Kaito’s voice coming from behind his back and startling him. His hand immediately reaches out to slam his laptop shut. He jerks his head in the direction of the voice so fast that he lets out a pained hiss and reaches out to rub his neck. He stares at Kaito like a deer caught in headlights.

 

“Kaito!” chokes out Shuichi, redness already spreading over his cheeks. The embarrassment coils in the pit of his stomach and he lets out a nervous laugh that sounds cringy even to his own ears. “Uh, um, what are you doing here?”

 

Kaito chuckles and moves to sit next to him on the bed, the mattress sagging slightly under his weight. Shuichi shifts to his right to make more space for him. “I asked you first.”

 

Shuichi looks guilty and jittery, looks as if he could bolt out of the room at any moment. He probably would feel less embarrassed if he got caught watching porn. He sighs in defeat and opens his laptop. 

 

Kaito’s eyes widen slightly in surprise. Shuichi shows him his browser, pages upon pages and all of them a damning evidence of some rather thorough research. Normally, it wouldn’t be that surprising, Shuichi was a detective after all, if it wasn’t for the fact that all of it seemed to be related to flowers. Lots and lots of flowers.

 

“Uhhh,” Kaito’s head tilts to the side as he sends Shuichi a questioning look, one hand rubbing the back of his neck. “What is it?”

 

Shuichi’s eyes flicker to him in uncertainty until they shift back to settle on the screen of his laptop. He takes a deep breath.

 

“Kokichi’s flowers seem to have meaning according to what the flowers generally symbolize.”

 

Kaito scratches his head absentmindedly, eyes moving between Shuichi’s face and one particular page that he’s pointing to. It seems to contain a long list of flowers along with short descriptions related to each one, briefly explaining what they’re associated with and how their symbolic meaning varied depending on culture, use or color. 

 

None of it tells him much, but Kaito remembers the vague comments his grandma made while preparing the bouquets for various occasions such as wedding or funerals. She was positively obsessed with things like that but back then he dismissed it as a strange old people thing.

 

Having a boyfriend with unexplained flower powers and the other training to be a detective sure changes the perspective, huh? 

 

“So like… you mean that this whole bullshit about flower meanings or what not is real?”

 

Shuichi stares at him with an enthusiastic look on his face, the same he always has when someone expresses an interest in his research and theories. He nods his head eagerly. “Yes! Various folk cultures and traditions assign symbolic meanings to plants and I think that Kokichi’s flowers aren’t just some random flowers, they are connected to what he feels. Remember the peonies yesterday?”

 

Kaito simply nods his head in confirmation, not convinced, but curious about what Shuichi is getting at. 

 

He thinks back to yesterday evening, white and pale pink petals tickling his skin as the flower stuck its head out of the sleeve of his shirt the moment he entered the room and his and Kokichi’s eyes crossed paths.  

 

Shuichi types something quickly and the new page opens, a picture of a bush of peonies loading. He scrolls down to the wall of text and then squints, leaning in closer to the screen of his laptop, the faint blue-ish light his face as he reads out loud.

 

“In Japanese culture peonies usually mean love and honor. They also might symbolize the devil-may-care attitude.” 

 

“Go figure,” mutters Kaito under his breath, undoubtedly thinking about how well that seems to describe their smaller boyfriend. Shuichi hums in quiet agreement.

 

“But,” he continues, “they can also mean bashfulness.”

 

Kaito can’t help a loud snort.

 

“Bashful? Kokichi?!” 

 

Shuichi smiles at him faintly, the rays of sun sneaking through the curtains giving his muddy gold eyes a warm gleam.

 

“Remember how right before that he spilled his Panta all over your papers?”

 

Kaito grits his teeth at the memory, brows furrowing in anger and corners of his lips tugging down in a displeased grimace. That’s all the confirmation Shuichi really needs. He smiles apologetically, gently, his hand finding Kaito’s and rubbing in unspoken comfort. 

 

“I think that was his way of saying that he’s sorry,” he explains. 

 

“Pfff,” snorts Kaito once more. “Sure he is.”

 

And yet deep down he knows that the little shit is sorry. He always is, even if it almost never looks like it. Doesn’t mean that he can’t get a little upset about it, right? Those were important papers that he needed for his work and the only reason why Kokichi spilled his soda on them was because he was planning a prank that involved some ungodly amount of his favorite drink. He was always up to no good and sometimes Kaito can’t help but feel like punching him just so he wouldn’t have to stare at his dumb shit-eating grin any second longer. 

 

“Well… Anyways, here it says that they can be a great way to apologize to someone for embarrassing yourself or to ask for forgiveness because of something you did. Also,” adds Shuichi, the smile still playing at his lips even though he no longer looks at Kaito, his gaze fixed on the screen, “I think the peonies yesterday were mostly white and pink, right?”

 

Kaito thinks about it for a second, the memory of flashing before his eyes. 

 

“Yeah. And?”

 

“But there was also a red one… right?”

 

“I… think so?” Now that he thinks about it maybe there was a single red one among the light ones “So what?” 

 

Shuichi’s smile widens slightly and he raises his hand to hide it. 

 

“Red ones are supposed to symbolize respect, you know.”

 

For a second there Kaito looks completely stunned into silence, his eyes going comically wide and jaw slack. But then he lets out a loud bark of laugh and slams his hand on Shuichi’s shoulder as if he’s just said the funniest joke. Shuichi winces slightly but otherwise doesn’t do or say anything, the analytical gaze of his eyes searching Kaito’s face.

 

“Oh man, that was a good one, Shuichi!” Laughs Kaito. “Yeah, I don’t think Kokichi is even capable of respecting anyone. And I’m pretty sure that this guy hates my guts.”

 

Despite his words, a bright blush creeps on Kaito’s cheeks and the tips of his ears are tinted with the rosy shade of red. 

 

Shuichi graciously doesn’t comment how despite ‘hating his guts’ Kokichi has been dating him for almost two years now. 

 

Kaito clears his throat. 

 

“Anyway,” he stands up, reaching for the jacket resting on the chair near the bed.“I gotta go.”

 

He leans in to plant a small kiss on Shuichi cheek and reminds him that it was Kokichi’s turn to cook dinner and that this time he’s supposed to do it on his own. And then he’s out of the room, the door slamming shut after him. 

 

Shuichi smiles and returns to his research. 

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally an update!
> 
> It took some time, eh? Sorry about that, between other writing projects I didn't have that much time to focus on this one. Also, I have to admit that I feel very insecure about my writing recently and that makes it harder to work on already started fics. Still, I hope that you liked it and hopefully it won't take me over 2 months to update it!
> 
> Have a lovely Sunday evening, everyone!

**Author's Note:**

> Some of you probably already knew about this AU since I talked about it on my Tumblr a few times. I really wanted to post it before the end of the year. It's marked as incomplete because it's actually supposed to be a series of ficlets, all set in the same universe. There's also a chance that I'll write a bigger fic based on this concept in the future. For now, though, I really I hope that you liked it.  
> I recently made an account on Ko-fi, so you can consider buying me a coffee https://ko-fi.com/L4L4IOSY c: Also, comments and kudos are always appreciated, they really motivate me to write more and improve my writing, there's nothing more rewarding than getting to know what you guys think about my fics!
> 
> And... Happy New Year! : D May all your wishes come true!


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